The development of techniques for propagating T cell populations in vitro has been crucial to many of the recent advances in the understanding of T cell recognition of antigen and T cell activation. The development of culture methods for the generation of human antigen-specific T cell clones has been useful in defining antigens expressed by pathogens and tumors that are recognized by T cells to establish methods of immunotherapy to treat a variety of human diseases. Antigen-specific T cells can be expanded in vitro for use in adoptive cellular immunotherapy in which infusions of such T cells have been shown to have anti-tumor reactivity in a tumor-bearing host. Adoptive immunotherapy has also been used to treat viral infections in immunocompromised individuals.
Techniques for expanding human T cells in vitro have relied on the use of accessory cells and exogenous growth factors, such as IL-2. The use of IL-2 and, for example, an anti-CD3 antibody to stimulate T cell proliferation is known to expand the CD8+ subpopulation of T cells. The requirement for MHC-matched antigen presenting cells as accessory cells presents a significant problem for long-term culture systems. Antigen presenting cells are relatively short lived. Thus, in a long-term culture system, antigen presenting cells must be continuously obtained from a source and replenished. The necessity for a renewable supply of accessory cells is problematic for treatment of immunodeficiencies in which accessory cells are affected. In addition, when treating viral infection, accessory cells which may carry the virus may result in contamination of the entire T cell population during long term culture. An alternative culture method to clone and expand human T cells in vitro in the absence of exogenous growth factor and accessory cells would be of significant benefit.